Aerial-lift-platform accessory

ABSTRACT

An aerial-lift-platform accessory ( 10 ) comprising a container ( 30 ) for holding items, a hanger ( 40 ) for hanging the container ( 30 ) on an upper safety rail ( 25 ), and a brace ( 50 ). The brace ( 50 ) is convertible between a bracing condition whereat its arm ( 51 ) braces the container ( 30 ) against a lower safety rail ( 26 ) and a carrying condition whereat its arm ( 51 ) is stowed close to the contour of the container ( 30 ).

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application under 35 USC §121 of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/491,213 filed on Jun. 7, 2012 whichclaimed priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/493,993 filed on Jun. 7, 2011. The entire disclosureof this provisional patent application is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

An aerial lift platform generally comprises a deck, an elevator forraising the deck to significant heights, and a safety railingsurrounding the deck. The safety railing typically comprises verticalposts arranged around the deck's border and horizontal bars extendingacross the vertical posts. The vertical posts and the horizontal barstogether guard workers, tools, building supplies, and other items fromfalling from the deck.

SUMMARY

An accessory for an aerial lift platform is provided that is compatiblewith standard platform constructions. The aerial-lift-platform accessoryallows tools, building supplies, and/or other items to be easily,neatly, and safely conveyed to an elevated work level.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an accessory being used on an aerial lift platform.

FIGS. 2-3 shows the aerial-lift-platform accessory and adjacent sectionsof the horizontal bars of the safety railing.

FIGS. 4-8 show various views and/or embodiments of theaerial-lift-platform accessory.

FIGS. 9-11 show possible ways of converting a brace of theaerial-lift-platform between a bracing condition and a carryingcondition.

FIG. 12 shows another type of accessory being used on an aerial liftplatform.

FIG. 13 shows the aerial-lift-platform accessory of FIG. 12 and adjacentsections of the upper horizontal bar of the safety railing.

FIGS. 14-17 show the aerial-lift-platform accessory of FIG. 12 and partsthereof.

DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, an accessory 10is shown in use on an aerial lift platform 20. The aerial lift platform20 generally comprises a deck 21, an elevator 22 for moving the deck 21to significant heights, and a safety railing 23 surrounding the deck 23.The safety railing 23 can be constructed to resist a 300-pound outwardforce when it is leaned or otherwise pushed against.

The safety railing 23 can comprises a plurality of vertical posts 24 andhorizontal bars 25-26. The vertical posts 24 are securely affixed to thedeck 21 and arranged around its margin of the deck 21 about thirty tofifty inches apart. They typically extend upward from the deck 21 to atallness t₂₅ of about forty-two to forty-five inches.

The horizontal bars 25 extend across an upper perimeter of the verticalposts 24 (e.g., they are situated at a tallness t₂₅ of about forty-twoinches to about forty-five inches above the deck 21). The horizontalbars 26 extend across an intermediate perimeter of the vertical posts24, and they are usually situated at a height t₂₆ of about ten to thirtyinches above the deck 21. And the upper bar 26 and the lower bar 25 areseparated from each by a vertical distance d of about twelve tothirty-five inches.

Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the aerial-lift-platform accessory 10 isshown hung on a top horizontal bar 25 of the safety railing 23. Theaccessory 10 comprises a container 30 for holding items such as tools, ahanger 40 for hanging the container 30 on the upper railing bar 25, andbrace 50 for bracing against the lower railing bar 26.

The brace 50 prevents the container 30 from tilting forward and itscontents spilling out when it is hung on the top horizontal bar 25. Thebrace 50 includes an arm 51 which is selectively movable between abracing position and a carrying position. In the bracing position shownin FIG. 2, the arm 51 extends downward to below the lower bar 26 of thesafety railing 23. Thus, there is a distance b between the arm's bottomend to the lower bar 26. This distance b is preferably at least 3inches, at least 5 inches and/or at least 10 inches.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, the container 30 can comprise a front wall31, a rear wall 32, a bottom wall 33, and side walls 34. These walls31-34 of the container 30 define a storage space 35 within the container30. In the illustrated storage accessory 10, the top side of thecontainer 30 is left open so as to allow easy access to the items storedin the space 35. However, a removable lid or other cover can be providedfor the container 30. Additionally or alternatively, a permanent topwall can be provided with access to the space 35 being obtained inanother manner (e.g., side doors and/or drawers).

The illustrated hanger 40 comprises rectangular panels 41-43 forming aninverted U-shape channel 45 for the lower railing bar 26. The panel 41is secured to the rear wall 32 of the container 30, the panel 42 extendsoutwardly from the top edge of the panel 41, and the panel 43 extendsdownwardly from the distal edge of the panel 42. In FIG. 5 (and alsoFIG. 3), the hanger 40 and/or the panels 41-43 are centrally located on,and do not extend entirely across the rear wall 32 of the container 30.As shown in FIG. 8, the hanger 40 can instead extend entirelythereacross. In either or any event, any hanger 40 which forms anappropriate railing-bar channel 45, or other means of secure connectionto the bar 26, can be employed.

As was indicated above, the brace 50 comprises an arm 51 which isselectively movable between a bracing position and a carrying position.This arm movement between the bracing-carrying positions can beaccomplished in any suitable manner. For example, as shown in FIGS.9-11, this movement can be accomplished by the arm 51 having a pivotalattachment 52 (FIG. 9), the arm 51 having telescoping pieces 51 a-51 c(FIG. 10), or by both a pivotal attachment 52 and telescoping pieces 51a-51 c (FIG. 11).

Preferably, the arm 51 is fixed to the container 30 in the bracingposition, fixed to the container 30 in the carrying position, andremains fixed to the container 30 as it is moved therebetween. And whenthe arm 51 is in the carrying position, it is preferably positionedabove the bottom wall 3* of the container 30 and does not extendlaterally beyond the side walls 34 of the container 30. That being said,a removable brace 50 and/or arm 51, and/or one that projects outside thecontainer contour in the carrying position, is possible contemplated.

The container 30 can further comprise a handle 60, a tray 70, a drawer80, and/or an apron 90. The handle 60 is located relative to thecontainer 30 for convenient lifting as it is being carried to and fromwork sites. The tray 70 can be inserted into the container storage space35 and accessible through its open top. The drawer 80 can be withdrawnfrom a pocket formed in the front wall 31 (or any other part) of thecontainer 30. The apron 90 can be optionally fastened to the container30 for the storage of additional items.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-17, another aerial-lift-platform accessory 110is shown. In FIG. 12, two accessories 110 are being used in tandem on anaerial lift platform 20 to convey building supplies (e.g., lumber and/orpiping) alongside the deck 21. Depending upon the load to be liftedand/or the platform size, only one accessory 110 or more than twoaccessories 100 can be employed.

The aerial-lift-platform accessory 110 comprises a pole 130, a hanger140 for hanging the pole 130 on the upper horizontal bar 25, an upperbracket 150 for cradling building supplies, and a lower cradle 160 forcradling building supplies. The accessory 110 need not include both theupper bracket 150 and lower bracket 160 as only one may suffice in somecircumstances. Alternatively, additional brackets (e.g., similar tobracket 150) could be provided along the pole length.

The pole 130 includes a vertical strut 131 and a horizontal foot 132extending perpendicularly outward from a bottom end thereof. The hanger140 and the upper bracket 150 are connected to the vertical strut 131,and the lower bracket 160 is connected to the horizontal foot 132. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the pole 130 is formed from square metalrod.

The hanger 140 includes a clamp 141 having rectangular panels 142-144forming a channel 145 for the upper railing bar 25. The first panel 142and the second panel 143 can be vertically oriented and situated onopposite sides (i.e., inner and outer relative to the deck 21) of thebar 25. The third panel 144 can extend horizontally therebetween. Theclamp 141 (e.g., the panels 142 and 143) can include openings 146 forreceipt of locking members.

The hanger 140 also includes a sleeve 147 with a conduit 148 for receiptof the pole 130, and more particularly a top region of its strut 131. Ifthe pole 130 is made from square metal rod, as illustrated, the sleeve147 and the conduit 148 can have a similar geometry. Openings 149 forpositioning pins (not shown) can be provided in the sleeve 147 to adjustthe vertical reach of the post 130. The sleeve 147 is fixed to the outervertical panel 143 of the clamp 141.

The upper bracket 150 is connected to an intermediate region of the polestrut 131. The bracket 150 can comprise legs 151-153 forming a cradle154 for building supplies. In the illustrated embodiment, the first leg151 is vertically oriented and connected to the pole 130, the second leg152 extends horizontally outward from a bottom end of the first leg 151,and the third leg 153 extends vertically upward from distal end of thesecond leg 152. If the pole 130 and/or its vertical strut 131 are madeof square bar, as illustrated, the bracket 150, the legs 151-153, orjust the leg 151 can be square-tube (e.g., similar to the sleeve 147).

The bracket 150 can be vertically adjustable relative to the pole 130 toaccommodate a range of short-to-tall cargo. Specifically, for example,the bracket 150, and particularly its leg 151, can be slidable relativeto pole strut 131. The bracket 150 can be provided with position-pinopenings 159 which align with similar openings 139 in the post 130 tolock the bracket in the desired vertical position.

The lower bracket 160 is connected to the foot 132 of the pole 130. Thebracket 160 has legs 162-163 forming, with the bottom region of the polestrut 131, a cradle 164. The first leg 162 can be horizontally orientedand connected to the pole foot 132 and the second leg 163 can extendupward from the distal end of the first leg 162. Again, if the pole 130and/or the foot 132 are made from square bar, the bracket 160 and/or itslegs 162-163 (or just leg 162) can be made of tubular-bar-receivingmaterial.

The lower bracket 160 can be horizontally adjustable relative to thepole 130 to accommodate thin-to-wide cargo. To this end, the bracket 160and particularly the bracket panel 162 can be slidable relative to thefoot 132. Position-pin openings 169 in the first bracket leg 162 (whichcoordinate with similar openings in the pole 130) can be used to lockthe bracket 160 in the desired horizontal position.

As shown in FIG. 17, a further feature 170 can be added which takesadvantage of the unused upper regions of the sleeve 147. This feature170 can comprise, for example, a clipboard, water bottle, or other itemwith a connection shaft for insertion into the sleeve 147.

One may now appreciate that the accessory 10/110 is compatible withstandard aerial lift platforms and it allows tools, work supplies,and/or other items to be easily, neatly, and safely conveyed to anelevated work level. While the accessory 10, the aerial lift platform20, and/or the accessory 110 have been shown and described with respectto a certain embodiment or embodiments, other equivalent alterations andmodifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the readingand understanding of this disclosure.

1. An aerial-lift-platform accessory for use on an aerial lift platformhaving a deck, an elevator for moving the deck to significant heights,and a safety railing surrounding the deck; said accessory comprising: apole; a hanger for hanging the pole from a horizontal rail of the safetyrailing; and a bracket, connected to the pole for cradling buildingsupplies; wherein the bracket either vertically adjustable toaccommodate short-to-tall cargo or horizontally adjustable toaccommodate thin-to-wide cargo.
 2. An aerial-lift-platform accessory asset forth in claim 1, wherein the pole comprises a vertical strut and ahorizontal foot; and wherein the pole is adjustable relative to thehanger.
 3. An aerial-lift platform accessory as set forth in claim 2,wherein the hanger includes a clamp comprising panels forming a channelfor the railing bar; wherein first and second panels are verticallyoriented and situated on opposite sides of the horizontal bar andwherein a third panel extends horizontally therebetween.
 4. Anaerial-lift-platform accessory as set forth in claim 3, wherein thehanger comprises a sleeve with a conduit for receipt of the pole andwherein the sleeve is connected to a panel of the clamp.
 5. Anaerial-lift-platform accessory as set forth in claim 1, wherein thebracket comprises legs forming a cradle for building supplies, wherein afirst leg is vertically oriented and connected to the pole, wherein asecond leg extends horizontally outward from a bottom end of the firstleg, and wherein the third leg extends vertically upward from distal endof the second leg.
 6. An aerial-lift-platform accessory as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the bracket is vertically adjustable relative to thepole.
 7. An aerial-lift-platform accessory as set forth in claim 1,wherein the bracket is connected to a foot of the pole.
 8. Anaerial-lift-platform accessory as set forth in claim 1, wherein thebracket has legs forming, with a bottom region of the pole, a cradle;wherein a first leg is horizontally oriented and connected to the poleand wherein a second leg extends upward from the distal end of the firstleg.
 9. An aerial-lift-platform accessory as set forth in claim 1,wherein the bracket is horizontally adjustable so as to accommodatethin-to-wide cargo.
 10. An aerial-lift-platform accessory as set forthin claim 1, comprising two brackets connected to the pole for cradlingbuilding supplies, wherein one of the brackets is vertically adjustableto accommodate short-to-tall cargo and/or wherein one of the brackets ishorizontally adjustable to accommodate thin-to-wide cargo.
 11. An aeriallift platform with the accessory set forth in claim 1 hung on ahorizontal bar of its safety railing, wherein the safety railing isconstructed to resist a 300-pound outward force when it is leaned orotherwise pushed against.